Heel guard and the like



1,670,575 J. Huss HEEL GUARD AND THE LIKE May 22, 1928.

Filed Oct. 1, 1925 liiliil ,5 Z V7zrf 00 Z @266 Patented May 22, was. I

warren stares JACOB HUSS, OF MENDOTA, ILLINOIS.

HEEL GUARD AND THE LIKE.

1 Application filed October 1, 1925. Serial No. 59,792.

This invention has to do with improvements in heel guards for shoes. The invention has to do with an improved heel guard which may be easily attached to and re moved from the heel.

The heel guard of the present invention may beused in connection with either leather or wooden heels, or. rubber heels, but it is intended primarily for use in connection with rubber heels. i

It is well known that rubber heels greatly increase the difliculty of putting on and re moving rubbers and overshoes. This is because of the fact that the heel portion of the shoe is the last portion to be forced down into the, overshoe, and, conversely, is the first portion to be withdrawn therefrom. The friction between the rubber and inside of the overshoe is so great that it is often practically impossible to put on the overshoe if it is a tight fit, and, in any case, the overshoe can only be put-on by exercising considerable care in forcing the toe portion of the shoe well forward into the the overshoe.

By the use the heel guard of the present invention, I establish a temporary metallic lining beneath and around the rubber heel, the outside surface of said lining being polished so as to slide readily into and out of the overshoe. In this way, the rubber heel is very easily forced into place and will slide down into or up out of the overshoe without having to exercise extreme care in forcing the toe portion of the shoe forward to the extreme position.

The heel guard of the present invention is also so formed that it can be instantly attached to or detached from the heel; and so that it will firmly hold its place on the heel when in service. It is also so formed that it can be readily made from sheet metal stamping at very low cost.

Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detailed description of the same, which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows a side view of a shoe having applied to the heel thereof a guard embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the heel guard itself;

Fig. 3 is a front'edge view on line 33 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig.4 is a sideview on the line 4.l of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

' The heel guard itself comprises a crescent shaped sheetmetal stamping 5 which con forms to the shape of the rear portion of the heel with a fair degree of accuracy. This guard 5 has a floor 6' and encircling flange 7 around its side and rear portions. Preferably, the flange 7 is provided with a slight cant inwards, so that theupper edges of its side portions 8 and. 9 are slightly closer together than the width of the'botg tom portion. As a result, the side flange will take a more secure hold on theside portions of the heel. and be retained firmly V in position thereon,

The extreme front ends of the side portions 8 and 9 of the flange arepreferably flared outwards very slightly, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2, so as to avoid any tendency of these edges to bite into the sides of the heel during application thereto.

It is preferred that there be provided a forwardly reaching pointed pin 10 on the upper portion of the back of the side wall 7, so that as the guard is pressed forwards into final position on the heel, this pin will stick into the upper solid portion of the heel and thus retain the guard more firmly in place thereon.

It is to be observed that the floor portion 6 should reach inwardly with respect to the encircling flange 7 a sufficient distance to give a good contact around the edge portion of the bottom of the rubber heel. By so doing, the guard will retain its position more securely on the heel and insure more perfect alignment thereon.

It is preferred that the floor 6 be carried forward in one rear corner a suflicient distance to insure complete protection beneath all of the outside corner of the rubber heel,

which ordinarily wears away most rapidly.

For this purpose, the enlargement 11 is illustrated in Fig. 2. By this means there is assurance that when the guard is set into place on the rubber heel, the floor of the guard will supplement the bottom .of the rubber heel and straighten out the same so as to present a flat surface to the bottom of the overshoe when the same is set into place. In this way, a firm and normal pressure on the bottom of the heel portion of the overshoe is insured not Withsanding any amount of Wear which may be present on the rubber heel itself. This will eliminate thetendency of the heel portion of the overshoe to he come broken down at the outer corner due to theirregular form of the rubber heel itself.

It will be understood that the heel guard itself is preferably Blade of relatively thin metal stamping, so that when in place on the heel, it does not materially increase the size of the heel .nor lower the bottom thereof.

While I have herein shown and described only asingle embodiment of the features of my present invention, still I do not intend to limit myself to the same, except as I may do so inthe claims.

I claim:

1. As a new article or manufacture, a heel guard for the purpose specified comprising a crescent shaped plate of sheet metal of proper size .and contour to correspond to the heel to which it is to be applied, and having an encircling flange around its outer edge, the'upper portion of said flange being slightly canted inwards and the front edges of said flange being slightly flared outwards there being a relatively sharp pin projecting forward from the 'upper rear portion of the flange, the floor of heel to which the article is to be applied,

substantially as described.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a

"heel guard for rubber heels comprising an exteriorly heel shaped base plate of metal of substantially crescent shape formation and proper size and contour to lit smoothly against'the marginal portion of the base'of a rubber heel and being smooth and plans on its under side and having a flange upwardly extending from the exterior margin of its side and rear edges, the upper portion of the flange being slightly canted -inwardly to impinge against and clamp upon the sides and backof arubber heel.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a heel guard for rubber heels comprising an exteriorly heel shaped baseqplate of metal of substantially crescent shape formation and proper size and contour'to fitsmoothly against the marginal portion'oi the base/of a rubber heel and being smooth and'plane on its under side and having a flange up- Wardly extending "from the exterior margin of its side and rear edges, the upper portion of the flange being configured to {impinge against and cramp upon the sides and back of a rubber heel.

JAGOB,HUSS. 

